Tesla loses title as world’s biggest electric vehicle maker as sales fall for second year in a row

NEW YORK (AP) — Tesla lost its crown as the world’s bestselling electric vehicle maker on Friday as a customer revolt over Elon Musk’s right-wing politics and stiff overseas competition pushed sales down for a second year in a row.

Related Articles


Disney displays 3 Taylor Swift tour costumes in theme park


Lake County municipalities weighing ‘no annexation zones’ in rural areas


How a family of Black entrepreneurs has changed a Miami Starbucks


Matthew J. Palm: A peek at Orlando-bound Arte Museum (Watch out for that waterfall)


Asked on Reddit: Can I justify an expensive hobby?

Tesla said that it delivered 1.64 million vehicles in 2025, down 9% from a year earlier.

Chinese rival BYD, which sold 2.26 million vehicles last year, is now the biggest EV maker.

For the fourth quarter, sales totaled 418,227, falling short of the 440,000 that analysts polled by FactSet expected. The sales total may likely have been impacted by the expiration of a $7,500 tax credit that was phased out by the Trump administration at the end of September.

Even with multiple issues buffeting the company, the stock finished 2025 with a gain of approximately 11%, as investors hope Tesla CEO Musk can deliver on his ambitions to make Tesla a leader in robotaxi service and get consumers to embrace humanoid robots that can perform basic tasks in homes and offices.

Shares of Tesla rose almost 2% before the opening bell Friday.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2026/01/02/tesla-loses-biggest-ev-crown/